Wikipedia:WikiProject Cetaceans/Taxonomy

The project has now adopted a new way to list the taxonomy on cetacean articles. This system is to be also adopted by WikiProject Sharks and perhaps others in the future. Having these templates will increase the accuracy of the taxonomy throughout the cetacean articles. Currently some pages have been updated or they may just simply be different. In this way, all will look the same and will follow the same system, as well as providing updates to be done to just one place.

How it works
It works by transcluding templates within other templates, slowly building up the taxa. Each genus has its own template in the form of where GENUS is the genus name. This is true for all genera, even monotypic genera. Then above that there would be a template for the taxon next up (subfamily, or family) which would include the genus template. This continues up to ORDER level (Cetacea).

Example
Take, for example, the Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus. The genus for this is Balaenoptera and so the template at Balaenoptera_taxonomy looks like this:


 * Genus Balaenoptera
 * Fin Whale, Balaenoptera physalus
 * Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis
 * Bryde's Whale, Balaenoptera brydei
 * Pygmy Bryde's Whale, (Eden's Whale) Balaenoptera edeni
 * Blue Whale, Balaenoptera musculus
 * Northern Minke Whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata
 * Southern Minke Whale, (Antarctic Minke Whale) Balaenoptera bonaerensis
 * Balaenoptera omurai, discovery announced November 2003. No common name yet in usage

Then, as this genus is in the Balaenopterinae subfamily a template for that at Balaenopterinae_taxonomy transcludes the Balaenoptera_taxonomy template:


 * Subfamily Balaenopterinae

That subfamily is in the Balaenopteridae (Rorquals) family and that template looks similar to the subfamily one:


 * Family Balaenopteridae: Rorquals

Using the templates
These templates should be used on every page of cetacean, so on the Mysticeti page the Mysticeti_taxonomy template is used:


 * ORDER CETACEA

The taxon name one up from the current taxon should be listed to put the taxa in context.

A note should also be placed before the template to inform editors:



List of templates

 * ORDER Cetacea_taxonomy
 * Suborder Mysticeti_taxonomy
 * Family Balaenidae_taxonomy
 * Genus Balaena_taxonomy
 * Genus Eubalaena_taxonomy
 * Family Balaenopteridae_taxonomy
 * Subfamily Balaenopterinae_taxonomy
 * Genus Balaenoptera_taxonomy
 * Subfamily Megapterinae_taxonomy
 * Genus Megaptera_taxonomy
 * † Genus Eobalaenoptera_taxonomy
 * Family Eschrichtiidae_taxonomy
 * Genus Eschrichtius_taxonomy
 * Family Neobalaenidae_taxonomy
 * Genus Caperea_taxonomy
 * Suborder Odontoceti_taxonomy
 * Family Delphinidae_taxonomy
 * Genus Cephalorhynchus_taxonomy
 * Genus Delphinus_taxonomy
 * Genus Feresa_taxonomy
 * Genus Globicephala_taxonomy
 * Genus Grampus_taxonomy
 * Genus Lagenodelphis_taxonomy
 * Genus Lagenorhynchus_taxonomy
 * Genus Lissodelphis_taxonomy
 * Genus Orcaella_taxonomy
 * Genus Orcinus_taxonomy
 * Genus Peponocephala_taxonomy
 * Genus Pseudorca_taxonomy
 * Genus Sotalia_taxonomy
 * Genus Sousa_taxonomy
 * Genus Stenella_taxonomy
 * Genus Steno_taxonomy
 * Genus Tursiops_taxonomy
 * Family Monodontidae_taxonomy
 * Genus Delphinapterus_taxonomy
 * Genus Monodon_taxonomy
 * Family Phocoenidae_taxonomy
 * Genus Neophocaena_taxonomy
 * Genus Phocoena_taxonomy
 * Genus Phocoenoides_taxonomy
 * Family Physeteridae_taxonomy
 * Genus Physeter_taxonomy
 * Family Kogiidae_taxonomy
 * Genus Kogia_taxonomy
 * '''Superfamily Platanistoidea_taxonomy
 * Family Iniidae_taxonomy
 * Genus Inia_taxonomy
 * Family Lipotidae_taxonomy
 * Genus Lipotes_taxonomy
 * Family Pontoporiidae_taxonomy
 * Genus Pontoporia_taxonomy
 * Family Platanistidae_taxonomy
 * Genus Platanista_taxonomy
 * Family Ziphidae_taxonomy
 * Genus Berardius_taxonomy
 * Subfamily Hyperoodontidae_taxonomy
 * Genus Hyperoodon_taxonomy
 * Genus Indopacetus_taxonomy
 * Genus Mesoplodon_taxonomy
 * Genus Tasmacetus_taxonomy
 * Genus Ziphius_taxonomy